DNA Testing - know the In's and Out's of it. Genetic Genealogy, a new branch of genealogy combining genetics and traditional genealogy research, is the most accurate tool for the family historian. Family connections can be proven or disproven. DNA testing can support a paper trail which is often in question given the lack of surviving records. Its popularity grows daily with thousands testing monthly throughout the world.

07 January 2014

Cruizing the Gedcoms

A few months ago Family Tree DNA offered $10 coupon to any
tester who had not uploaded their Gedcom.
This coupon is good for any test over $49 and there is no expiration
date. I previously wrote about this and
it appears that many people did upload.
However, not near enough.

I recently went through all my pages to see who had a Gedcom. I found 152 gedcoms uploaded ourof 652
matches. I found at least one person
with themselves and their parents uploaded; nothing more. I found another person with 3-4 generations,
but only gave names; not dates or places.
Not a great showing given that many people are genealogists. I was surprised that I had many matches whose
lineage was totally outside of the U.S.
Their generations were extensive.

I’m not inclined to share my lineages just anywhere. I have worked for too many years (read that: decades) and have extensive sources for my
lineage. However, only the matches you
have at Family Tree DNA can see your Gedcom.
It’s not like posting it to the world.

So why should you
upload your Gedcom to FTDNA?

I went through those 152 Gedcoms and found common ancestors
for five of my matches. Yes, not a huge
number, but it’s not only five more than what I had, but we can now dialogue on
who matches them where they match me as well as look at each of our downloaded
DNA segments to determine if others may be connected on the same line.

Of course, having up to 12 generations (although only 9 are
posted on FTDNA) and knowing as many descendants of your direct line ancestors makes
locating common ancestors much easier.

Excluding the matches with cousins that I personally know
and those cousins I previously found in other ways, the following are those
discovered by checking their Gedcom only.

Williams-Miller
and Sherrill line

Predicted cousinship is 5th
cousin to remote.

Chromosome 6 Start: 108534117
End: 127839034 cMs:
14.73 SNPs: 3900

This 5th cousin 1x
removed relates to me through two different lines of my pedigree chart. It is not unusual in colonial times that
families intermarried. Such is the case here.
Of course, the advantage is that the descendants have more DNA that
normal so it is easier to match people. The
predicted match may be more recent than it actually is. This is a major reason to have your pedigree
charts as far back as possible and as extensive as can be for the descendants
of your ancestors.

Line 1: Philip E. Williams, born ca
1792 and died in Jackson County, Alabama married Catherine Miller, daughter of
Jacob Miller and Sarah.

Line 2: Adam Sherrill, born between
1698 and 1701 in probably Cecil County, Maryland and died between March 1772
and May 1774. He married Elizabeth Unknown. Adam’s parents were William Sherrill and
Margaret.

Canterbury

Predicted cousinship is 5th
cousin to remote.

Chromosome 10 Start:
119446450 End: 127738898
cMs: 16.4 SNPs:
2950

My 6th cousin along my
Canterbury line is probably quite happy that I viewed all these pedigree charts
as I was able to give her 4 more generations along that line.

Bourn(e)

Predicted cousinship is 3rd
to 5th cousin.

Chromosome 1 Start: 82521165
End: 108398491 cMs: 24.51
SNPs: 6897

And oh, what a lucky 6th
cousin 1x removed on my Bourn line. I
gave her 3 more generations.

Sherrill/Simpson/Perkins

Predicted cousinship is 3rd
to 5th cousin.

Chromosome 18 Start: 72484246
End: 76116152 cMs: 13.94
SNPs: 1243

Although listed as a 3-5th
cousin we are actually 6th cousins 1x removed as we match a few
times on these lines. As this connection
to my cousin crosses lines a few times and we each have several connections,
the following graph may clarify the connection.
I descend from Arvarilla’s son William and my cousin from her daughter
Sarah who married Moses Sherrill, son of Adam. The double lines indicate
marriage.

At this point in time the Lycan(s)
surname is indirectly related to me, but finding this Gedcom added more details
to my chart on the spouse’s side. This makes me wonder if there is not a
marriage to someone in my direct line that I do not know about yet. I do know the surname was used as a middle
name for many relatives in my Canterbury line. There has to be a connection
somewhere.

As more people upload their Gedcoms more common ancestors
will be found. However, those Gedcoms must be as detailed as possible for the best results. As
genealogists, it does little good to call our work done; we must continue filling in the gaps. Although more and more records are becoming
available on the internet, a good genealogist knows that is not the only
resource as most records are still found in the courthouses and various other
depositories.

Let’s make this year a great success for genetic genealogy
and finding our common ancestors!

2 comments:

I agree about the frustration at people not posting gedcoms, and I had gedcoms posted for several of us. However, after the updated user interface to Family Finder several months back, I found they no longer showed up on match screens as having a gedcom, while they did show up if each person displayed their gedcom from within their own account. I solved this by deleting the gedcoms I had previously uploaded and re-uploaded them for all of us. Voila, the gedcoms showed up on the matches screen. FTDNA obviously had a glitch they never corrected even though I alerted them. It makes me wonder how many people out there think they have a gedcom uploaded, but in fact it doesn't show up to those they match.

Bob, thank you for your comment. I know that at one time FTDNA allowed people to upload gedcoms separately for paternal and maternal sides. When the atDNA came along, they wanted everyone to remove those (or they probably did) and upload one gedcom. No doubt some were unable to do that for various reasons, but one would think that if you are still living and able you would be visiting your site, replying to email, etc. Perhaps that is the case for some, but to add three generations of names and nothing else (no dates) is not helpful. That suggests the people may have wanted the $10 coupon and aren't interested in finding common ancestors. No doubt there is a continuum of interest from dedicated to just testing for a family member or no longer involved in genealogy. I still want to encourage people to consider uploading gedcoms for at least 9 generations where they can. Thank you again.

Emily Aulicino

Genetic Genealogist

Welcome to My Genetic Genealogy Blog

Genetic Genealogy is a wonderful resource for the family genealogist or historian and is growing daily! From time to time I will post URLs and books that can be helpful. My blog is my personal venture and is selective in its contents. It is not a reflection of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy.

I am the Northwest Regional Coordinator for the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG*) and manage twelve DNA Projects and several email lists on Rootsweb and Yahoo. I am available to speak at any function regarding Genetic Genealogy and on writing one's memories and family stories. ......For my DNA Projects, I prefer using Family Tree DNA. You can order a test kit by clicking on the FTDNA logo below.

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"Memoing" My Memories

130 Topic Booklet for Sale

"Memoing" My Memories - Unsolicited Testimony

Rhonda in Oregon writes:The writing tip you gave us Thursday is great! I went right to my stash of journals (I have trouble journaling, but love the books!), and made a page for every year since my birth year.I’m very excited to start writing my memories down. Thanks again for a fantastic tip!!

Anne in Michigan writes:"So many times I have sat down and tried to write out my life's story. I got so bored with myself that I never got more than a few pages done. This method has totally changed my outlook and has renewed my lifelong interest to write about my life so that my children will have something to remember me by.I am psyched, pumped and ready to go now!”

Beth in Texas writes:“I am finding the topics very helpful in writing about things I would have never thought about before. These topics give me an opportunity not to dwell on the unhappy times in my life, and remember some of the less important, but memorable topics that I'd like to pass on to my children. I'll still write about unhappy times, but they will be sprinkled in with other memories.”

Jan in Kentucky writes:“Emily, you do so very much for so many, and it is so appreciated! You also have broken my writing block, and I appreciate that...if not for you, I don't know that I would have had the heart to return to it. You truly are doing a lot of good with that list of yours and the effects will be known for years and generations for so many. I think sometimes we just need to tell you that.”

Bob in Sherwood, Oregon writes:THANKS to you I started writing my "story" last Friday. If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have started it. It's all your fault...You, You, "Inspirator", You! Telling usto write in "pictures". If I started it prior to your presentation it would have begun... "I was born on October 29, 1944 in Jamestown, New York". Needless to say you had a GREAT impact on my writing.

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Books About Childhood Memories and Family Stories

As most of you know I seldom read fiction, and as a result, I am interested in books that are historical in nature and/or tell the stories of people's lives. The following list is some books that I have read which are by people I know, people who are related to me, people I have met, and people with whom I've corresponded for a time. Proudly, I have each author's autograph, and I'm beginning to think of this as a new collection/hobby of mine! .

Each of these stories have great struggles and challenges. Some are of childhood while others occurred when the author was an adult. I hope that you will find them interesting as I have. They are truly a slice of our American Life!

Childhood Shadows: The Hidden Story of the Black Dahlia Murder by Mary Pacios

Son of Scarface: A Memoir by the Grandson of Al Capone by Chris W. Knight

Run Jane Run: A True Story of Murder and Courage by Jane Wells

Somehow, We'll Survive: Life in Japan During World War II Through The Eyes of a Young Caucasian Boy by George Sidline

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Emily is available for Presentations regarding Writing Your Family Memories and Childhood Stories.
----- Learn to WRITE ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY MEMORIES using a quick and simple technique. Learn various organizational ideas and writing tips. ------- BOOK FOR SALE on writing your memories at workshops or by mail (Spiral bound; 144 pages on heavy vellum; 130 topics with writing tips and organizational ideas).
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